


cause your face is all i need to stay sane

by carodejnice



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Biting, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Vampire Gerard Way, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-08-30 23:05:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8553031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carodejnice/pseuds/carodejnice
Summary: Gerard is shy and falling for Frank, Frank is oblivious and falling for Gerard. Mikey hates them both.





	1. not very intimidating for a vampire

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first published fic, and i hope you enjoy! title is from "She's The Prettiest Girl At The Party, And She Can Prove It With A Solid Right Hook" by frnkiero and the cellabration :) i'll try to update as fast as i can, but this is prolly gonna get pretty long   
> leave some comments and i'll love you forever xo

Gerard shook as the blood dripped slowly from his arms down to his already blood-soaked hands. His face and arms stained with scarlet, a mixture of his own blood and that of the man before him. Choking out a sob, he wondered how he could have possibly ended up here - coated in blood and crouching over the limp, broken body of the love of his life - and if he could've somehow prevented it all.

\------------------

Gerard had been living in his new apartment for exactly one week when Mikey stopped by for a visit. An unfortunate side effect of coming from a family of vampires was that they would show up at any time, day or night.

"How's the unpacking going?" Mikey asked, smirking at the clearly unopened boxes that littered the floor.

"Fuck off, I just moved in," Gerard snapped, dragging his hands through his already messy black hair. He rubbed his eyes, checking his reflection in the mirror. Mikey rolled his eyes and sank down on the couch in front of Gerard's television.

"Have you at least met any of the other tenants?" asked Mikey, "it'd do you good to make some friends, Gee."

Gerard scoffed, "I can make friends on my own, Mikey, I don't need you pestering me about it. And yes, I actually did meet the older woman living two doors down." With a poorly concealed smirk, Mikey pointed out that in all of Gerard's nearly 200 years, he'd never really been great at the whole "friends" thing. Apparently being a blood-sucking creature of the night did nothing to ease social anxiety. Gerard knew Mikey was right, but he'd never give his baby brother the satisfaction of agreeing. In reality, Gerard was quite lonely. He was acquaintances with a few of the people he worked with at the bookstore, but he missed his good friends. Pete and Patrick lived halfway across the city from him, while Mikey and his roommate, Ray, lived nearly half an hour away.

Mikey spent a couple more hours bugging Gerard about his tragedy of a social life before gifting him a few cans of blood and heading out. Glancing at the clock, Gerard knew he needed to head off to work soon. He enjoyed working the book store, he really did, he just wished it had more vampire-friendly hours. Of course, he couldn't complain much because compared to the way things were back when he was turned, the world was a lot more accommodating of so-called creatures of the night. This was thanks to a movement that started in the mid-seventies; after the general population finally realized and accepted the existence of vampires, it was a relatively smooth transition over to a society where humans and vampires could peacefully coexist. At least, that was the way it was in the north; the further south you went, the more segregation you found. Sure, Gerard bitched about having to be up for most of the day to work at the bookstore, but hell if he wasn't appreciative of how good he had it compared to other vampires.

After a great deal of grumbled complaints, Gerard got his lazy ass off the couch and headed to the store. The store was only a couple blocks from his new apartment, so his walk was a short one. The front door had a small bell over it that chimed whenever it was opened. As he strode into the store, he was greeted by Lindsey, another employee he had grown fond of in his short time working in the shop. After they exchanged pleasantries, they went about preparing for customers.

Gerard wandered through the art and poetry sections, sifting through the shelves and putting books back in their proper places. There was some classic rock song playing softly over the store speakers, but even with his vampire senses, Gerard barely heard it due to his intent focus on putting the Alphonse Mucha art book back in the M section after someone left it in the B section. It was a miracle he even heard the door chime, snapping his head up in attention to look for the potential customer. Lindsey had disappeared into the back room, so he knew he was on his own to deal with whoever came through the door.

When his eyes found the person in the doorway, his breath caught in his throat. Sure, he didn't need air, what with being undead and all, but he and many other vampires did it out of habit. The man who had waltzed into the store was, by far, the most beautiful man Gerard had ever seen. Gerard's unsettlingly red eyes met the man's gorgeous hazel ones. Now that Gerard was focused on the new presence, he could _smell_ him, and _fuck_ of course the hot guy was a ridiculously good-smelling human.

After realizing he was probably staring creepily, Gerard stuttered out, "u-um hi, is there anything I can help you find?" The man smiled brightly, tilting his head to the side so his thick, dark hair flopped over gently, and _fuck_ Gerard should not be thinking about how soft this guy's hair must be.

"Yeah, I'm looking for books about music theory? Do you happen to have any?" Taking a second to bask in how lovely the guys voice was, Gerard paused before stepping out from behind the shelf he was organizing and motioned for the man to follow him.

"Here's the music section. It's, um, not very big but we have some good material I think?" He smiled weakly.

"No worries! Thanks for the help," the man paused, looking to Gerard's name tag, "Gerard," he said, smiling his dazzling smile once more. "I'm Frank."

"H-hi. I'm, uh, glad to be of some assistance," he forced out, trying not to trip over his words. Gerard silently thanked all that was holy that he hadn't eaten in a couple days because that was the only reason he didn't have an intense blush covering his cheeks. _God_ for a vampire he felt  _so lame_. After a quick smile at Frank, Gerard scurried off to the back room to find Lindsey.

"Lindsey, _holy fuck_ ," he announced once the door closed behind him.

"What's wrong?" Lindsey asked, concern showing in her deep red eyes.

"Lindsey, I can't believe this but the hottest guy I've ever seen in all of my two hundred years just walked into our store."

Lindsey couldn't help but bark out a laugh, "seriously, Gerard?"

Gerard's face scrunched up into an indignant pout. "Look, go out there and look. You'll see what I mean."

Lindsey laughed again giggling out, "Gerard, I'm sure he's hot, I'm just laughing because apparently there's a hot as fuck guy in the store right now and you're in here telling me, the _lesbian_ , rather than out there getting his number."

Gerard's eyes widened and he let out a huff. "You know I'm no good at human interaction."

Lindsey rolled her eyes, "of course you aren't good at it, you aren't human."

"Yes, but he is," Gerard sighed. At that, Lindsey's smile wavered. They both knew that even with the general integration and acceptance of vampirism, relationships with humans were still pretty taboo.

"Okay," Lindsey sighed, trying not to look too disappointed. "There's always a chance he could be into you?" She said uncertainly.

Gerard snorted, "as if someone like him would go for someone like me regardless," he smiled bitterly.

"Geraaaaard," Lindsey huffed. "You're being too hard on yourself. Also, I think your crush just left."

Suddenly alert, Gerard heard the distant tinkle of the doorbell. Sinking to the floor, he groaned and put his head in his hands.

"God why can't I just be normal?"

Lindsey giggled and patted his shoulder sympathetically before returning to her work unpacking the new boxes of books. The rest of the work day dragged on; few people stopped by, so Gerard spent the day arranging and rearranging the comic book section. By the end of his shift, Gerard was pretty hungry. He and Lindsey parted ways, and he headed back to his apartment.

Back in his home, Gerard stumbled over to the fridge, grabbing a can of blood, heating it, and downing it all at once. The slightly off-putting taste was canceled by the delicious, warm feeling of the liquid sliding down his throat to settle in his stomach. Exhausted from trying to force himself into a human sleep/wake cycle, he flopped down onto his bed. After a few minutes of trying to will himself to sleep, he gave up, heading to the shower to try and relax some more. The hot water soothed his aching shoulders. He sighed into the thick mist, closing his eyes and remembering his day. His eyes snapped open again when he recalled the deep, dark eyes and infectious smile of the stranger - Frank. Groaning softly and trying to ignore the heat curling in his belly, Gerard turned the shower off and stepped out, quickly drying off and throwing on some boxers before jumping into bed. He felt like a stupid teenager again, horny and hopelessly crushing on a dude he just met. _Perfect_.


	2. everybody party till the gasman comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> totally meant to post this yesterday but ! here we are, hope you all enjoy :) thank you so much for all the kudos and comments, keep em coming! xo (title from vampire money by mcr)

A couple weeks passed, and things returned mostly to normal. Gerard spent most (all) of his time outside of work holed up in his apartment rewatching Star Wars. Work was fairly boring, but he and Lindsey developed a playful banter that kept things interesting. Gerard thought Mikey would be proud of him for making a friend at work, even if he hadn't made any attempts to hang with her outside the hours they were required to be together. He read comics, occasionally called Mikey to check in, and _definitely_ did not think about a certain pair of bright brown eyes when he jerked off in the shower. Nope. No way.

 

He also _refused_  to think about how _absolutely fucking amazing_ Frank's blood must taste seeing as it smelled so intoxicating. God, Gerard would never be able to tolerate the canned shit if he got a taste of Frank. Wanting to smack himself, Gerard cursed his damn vampire brain for its freaky link between feeding and sex. It was incredibly common for vampires to connect biting with other  _pleasurable activities_ , but not many humans were down for that.

 

Mikey, of course, noticed Gerard's distant state and complete lack of interaction outside of work. That boy just knew things, even before he turned into a supernatural being. Either way, Mikey pestered Gerard into going out with him that Friday. A new club had just opened near Gerard's apartment, and Mikey was determined to find Gerard a date. Or at least get him laid. What are brothers for if not that?

 

It wasn't like Gerard hadn't gotten his fair share in his 200 years - he was by no means a virgin - he just had some trouble getting there. And Mikey of all people knew how much good it did Gerard to find someone. Even just a casual fuck.

 

By the time Friday rolled around, Gerard was definitely hoping Mikey had forgotten about their night out, but sure enough he showed up at Gerard's apartment door right at eight o'clock. 

 

"Mikey, the club isn't even open this early," Gerard sighed.  

 

"You think I don't know that? I'm here early to be sure you look decent enough to even have a chance at finding a good lay."

 

"Mikey!" Gerard exclaimed, cheeks flushing a light pink. 

 

"What? I'm just lookin out for my big brother!" Mikey smirked, "plus Pete and Patrick made me promise to convince you to go out wearing skinny jeans rather than your regular sweatpants ensemble."

 

Gerard rolled his eyes, "god you're insufferable. Fine, I'll go get dressed."

 

"Great! I'm gonna raid your fridge," Mikey said, before sliding off to the kitchen. Gerard sighed before heading into his bedroom to find something Mikey would deem presentable. He dug through his closet to find a pair of black skinny jeans that, if he was being totally honest, did make his ass look pretty great. He slipped on a plain grey t-shirt and black leather jacket before mussing his long, dark hair to get it to cooperate. When he emerged from the bedroom, Mikey was sitting there snacking on whatever goodies he had found. Gerard let out an exasperated groan, knowing full well that Mikey didn't actually _need_ that kind of food; he just took it because it tasted good. Mikey quickly evaluated Gerard's outfit before jerkily nodding his approval. 

 

"Let's get going, then," Mikey smiled brightly, hopping off the counter and strolling over to the door. Gerard pulled his combat boots on and slid out the door behind Mikey.

 

They made casual conversation on their way to the bar, until Mikey grinned and said, "oh and Gerard," he paused, "remember to use protection," winking not-at-all subtly. 

 

Gerard's face flushed before he turned to Mikey with a dirty scowl. "Mikey, vampires can't even  _get_ or transmit diseases."

 

Mikey laughed in response and just patted Gerard's shoulder. Rolling his eyes, Gerard marched onward. 

 

When they reached the club, it was clearly starting to fill up. Vampires and humans alike flowed into the building, and it was still sort of surreal to Gerard that humans were now so comfortable around vampires. The moment was fleeting, and then he and Mikey were being whisked away into the club by the crowd. There was a live band playing on the stage at the far wall of the club. The base pounded in Gerard's ribs, a foreign feeling after going so long without a heartbeat. Mikey leaned over to Gerard to let him know he was headed to the bar, and when Gerard looked over, he saw a pretty brunette and knew Mikey's plan. He rolled his eyes and headed further into he club, avoiding drunken dancers. As Gerard skirted along the edge of the venue, he was vaguely aware of the band announcing the end of its set and that another band would be on shortly.

 

He was abruptly brought to attention, so suddenly he nearly fell over. Eyes wide and gasping for breath, he recognized that sweet voice and smelled the intoxicating scent. _Frank_. Head spinning a bit from the bombardment of his senses, Gerard hurried towards the stage, trying to get a look at he man he'd been not-so-secretly hoping to see again. When he got to be a few feet away from the stage, he sucked in a sharp breath; the day that Frank had showed up in the bookstore had been a chilly one, and he had been wearing a sweater and gloves, but now he wore short sleeves, showing off gorgeous artwork that covered his hands and spread up his arms. Gerard tried _very hard_ not to imagine just how far the tattoos went. Just when Gerard thought this dude couldn't get any hotter, here he was, covered in ink and singing passionately into the microphone. 

 

Mesmerized by Frank's performance, it took a second for Gerard to register when Frank made eye contact with him. If Gerard's heart had still been beating, he knew it would be pounding by now, and when Frank's tongue darted out, nudging the small, silver lip ring on the way out, he was sure his heart would have stopped. Again. 

 

Frank broke away from Gerard's gaze, returning to his face a few times before the end of the band's set. The entire performance had Gerard in a trance. Frank looked amazing - and not just in the "wow he's so hot I'd bend over right now if he asked" way. Although, Gerard definitely wouldn't be opposed to _that_. But Frank's passion was so palpable, Gerard felt almost high off it. Frank's voice had him hanging on every word, and he honestly had never enjoyed a music performance this much. The energy was invigorating; Gerard felt more alive than, well, since he was _actually_ alive. 

 

All too soon, the set was ending. As the members thanked the crowd and began to file offstage, Gerard met Frank's eyes once more, and was rewarded by a flash of the man's bright smile. Gerard's insides curled pleasantly at the clear sign of recognition. Before Gerard could attempt to go speak to Frank, he was shuffling out the back of the club with the rest of his band. A short while later, Mikey texted Gerard, letting him know he was leaving the club. Gerard rolled his eyes, knowing that the brunette from the bar was headed out with Mikey. Once again, Gerard hadn't found anyone. Well, he saw Frank, which was _definitely_ worth it. 

 

When Gerard returned to his apartment, he headed off to the shower to clean up after being surrounded by so many sweaty bodies. His mind kept wandering back to dark, scruffy hair and shimmering brown eyes. Pushing away the admittedly pleasant thoughts, he wrapped his hand loosely around his cock. Gerard refused to think about the sweet-smelling man screaming into the microphone while on his knees, but he still came harder than he had in a _while_ with the image of a smirk marked with a silver flash burning in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops,,,,,


	3. well are you thinking of me now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa another chapter how am i so productive (jk i should be studying.....)  
> anyway, chapter title is from the world is ugly by mcr, hope you guys enjoy! we're getting to the set up for the romance arc, so hang in there ;) xo

The next morning, Gerard ignored the texts from Mikey, asking if he had finally gotten laid. Gerard didn't need his brother bothering him even more about his complete ineptitude when it came to relationships. Sure, he'd been with a few people during his two hundred years, but the relationships had never lasted more than a few months. At this point, it'd been years since his last relationship, and months since his last hookup. Gerard denied Mikey's claims of commitment issues, but did sometimes wonder if there was a reason he'd been single for the better half of his _exceptionally_ long life.

Groaning at the throbbing in his head, Gerard resolved to go out to get coffee. He had the day off of work, so he could spend the day out if he wanted to, but he didn't.

After brushing his teeth and attempting to make himself look halfway decent, he headed out of his apartment, running straight into someone in the hall.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" He squeaked, suddenly much more alert than two seconds ago, but not quite alert enough to recognize the person he practically knocked over until the man straightened up and looked at Gerard.

"No, no, don't worry about it!" Frank smiled sheepishly, and Gerard thought he might die again right then and there because _holy fuck_ here was the guy he'd spent the last few weeks fantasizing about and Gerard was stumbling around in a ratty t-shirt and dangerously low-hanging sweats. "I shoulda been looking where I was going instead of walking along like a zombie."

Gerard's brain was desperately trying to catch up with what was happening, but all he could do was open his mouth uselessly. Thankfully, Frank ended the silence by asking, "hey, aren't you the guy who works at the bookstore?"

"Y-ep that's me," Gerard let out, willing his voice to remain steady. "I think I saw you performing at the new club last night?"

"Oh yeah! I thought I saw you in the crowd," Frank said, smiling. Gerard would swear he felt his heart flutter at that.

"I didn't, um, catch you before you left the club, but i meant to tell you that you and your band were really good," Gerard said, thanking everything that was holy that he made it through that sentence without a voice crack. _Jesus_ how is he a lethal creature of the night if he can't even talk to a cute boy? Frank's face lit up beautifully, and Gerard knew he would do anything to make Frank look that happy all the time.

"Thanks, man! That means a lot!" Frank said cheerfully.

"Of course! You guys really were amazing, and you looked like you were all enjoying yourselves a lot," Gerard said with a soft smile. Frank grinned back, and Gerard suddenly felt emboldened. "By the way, do you live in this building? I've never seen you around."

"I actually just moved in this week," Frank said, rubbing the back of his neck with tattooed fingers. "I used to live in the apartments across the street, but they started enforcing segregated floors, so I decided to leave."

Gerard couldn't contain the shock that passed over his face. "You left because they didn't allow vamps on the same floor as humans?" He asked, incredulous.

Frank looked at him quizzically. "Yeah, of course i did. Just 'cause I'm a human doesn't mean I'm willing to ignore mistreatment of vampires."

Gerard, bewildered, tried to regain control of his expression. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were okay with segregation, it's just that I've spent most of my life, or, I guess, _afterlife_ , with humans not wanting vampires around, so I'm always kinda surprised when humans are so cool with us, like, being around. But I promise I didn't think you were one of those segregationist people because you actually seem really cool and i -"

"Dude, it's okay, I just wanted you to know I'm on your side! I wasn't offended or anything," Frank stated, interrupting Gerard's frantic rambling.

"Okay, i - sorry," Gerard mumbled, looking up to see a smirk playing across Frank's lips.

"You think I'm cool, huh?" Frank's smirk grew wider as he said it. Gerard could really feel the tingling in his cheeks now as he tried to say something about Frank's band being cool, but all that came out was a slightly strangled sound. Frank giggled, and it was this adorable sound that really didn't fit the bad boy look he had going on, and Gerard couldn't help help the smile that tugged at his lips.

"So before our collision, where exactly were you headed? Most vampires I know don't get up this early unless they absolutely have to," Frank asked.

"Oh I was on my way to get some coffee down the street," Gerard said, gesturing vaguely. Frank smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" Frank asked, and Gerard's stomach was  _seriously_ doing some major acrobatics now because _did frank just ask him out?_  Or is this a "friends getting coffee" thing? Either way, Gerard couldn't possibly express how much he would love for Frank to join him.

Desperately trying to keep a calm composure, Gerard said, "no, no I don't mind. It'd be nice to have some company." Internally pumping his fist at his ability to keep his cool, Gerard looked down at Frank, who grinned wide.

"Lets go then," Frank said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you're all so lovely, and your comments make my day xoxo


	4. well i thought i heard you say i like you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh gosh so sorry this took so long school was kickin my ass this last week but hey since im on break now hopefully i can update more! title for this chapter is from "this is the best day ever" by mcr :) xo

Gerard led Frank to a Starbucks at the corner of the street by his - their??? - apartment building. Most of the people out at this time of day were humans, but he caught sight of a few red eyes and fangs. It was an overcast day, so the risk of sunburns was low, and it appeared that at least a few other vampires were attempting to enjoy a day out. Upon reaching the coffee shop, Gerard caught the door, and held it open for Frank, who beamed at him, silently thanking him with a nod. 

Frank sauntered over to the counter and ordered a drink, then went to sit down at one of the two-person tables. Gerard, nervously fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt, walked up to the barista and ordered his usual watered down coffee. Vampire super senses made pretty much everything better, but some tastes were just too strong now. 

After picking up both his and Frank's drinks, Gerard made his way to the table Frank was seated at. 

"Thanks," Frank smiled, taking his cup from Gerard, who gave a bashful smile back. "So how long have you lived in the area?" He asked. 

"Oh, uh, I've lived in Jersey for pretty much my whole life, and my last apartment was just a little ways away," Gerard explained. 

"Cool! I've lived in Jersey my whole life too, though I'm guessing that's not nearly as long as you," Frank said, suppressing a smile. 

Gerard huffed out a snicker, "yeah, something tells me you aren't a 200-something-year-old."

Franks eyes widened, and Gerard briefly regretted saying how old he was. As chill as Frank seemed, a lot of humans were still pretty freaked out by how old many vampires were. He absent-mindedly flicked his tongue against his fangs, wishing they could retract so he wouldn't freak Frank out. Before his internal spiral could send him into a self-pitying hole of shame, Frank spoke up, "dude! That's so cool! You got to experience so much of history firsthand; that's gotta be pretty amazing!"

Gerard, a bit shocked, stammered out, "oh yeah it's pretty cool I guess?" Frank's face fell a bit and Gerard instantly knew he would do anything to make sure Frank never looked like that again. God, he was _fucked_.

"Sorry, that's probably weird to say," Frank mumbled, looking self conscious for the first time since the two met. "I just meant that, well, you look real good for a 200 year old," Frank smiled hesitantly. 

Gerard's face flushed, and he responded with a flustered "thanks" before staring down into his coffee cup.  _Was Frank flirting with him?_  

Frank smiled gently. "So, I don't know if you can tell, but I haven't actually known a whole ton of vampires in my life? I guess I mean that like, if I offend you or ask something I shouldn't I don't mean to," Frank trailed off. 

Gerard nodded, "don't worry about it, I'll let you know if I get uncomfortable. But you can kind of ask me whatever?" Gerard said hesitantly. 

"Cool."

"Cool," Gerard echoed. 

They spent almost an hour giggling about stories they told each other. Gerard told Frank about a younger human couple who came to the store once looking for twilight books. Their faces when they realized they were asking a vampire for the books were absolutely _priceless_. Frank laughed his ass off and told Gerard a story about one of the gigs he played when he was younger. Only about ten people showed up to his show in some guy's basement, and they were all completely wasted, practically throwing up on the instruments. Gerard snorted, and Frank continued, "Honestly, they were so drunk they thought we were the _Beatles_. After the show, one asked me why Ringo wasn't there." Gerard lost himself in a fit of giggles, Frank following shortly behind. Gerard looked up at the man across from him and smiled contentedly. He was immensely pleased at how much easier it had gotten to talk to frank. Sure, he still sometimes caught a whiff of franks shampoo, or got lost in his shimmering eyes (oh,  _God,_  he's such a sap Mikey would kick his ass if he knew what Gerard was thinking), but it was generally easier to keep a level head talking to Frank. All of Gerard's previous awkwardness had started to fall away, and he was able to truly enjoy talking with Frank. 

Eventually, Frank got up to throw away their empty cups, and when he returned he announced that he needed to get going soon so he could pick up supplies his band needed that night. 

Disappointed, but understanding, Gerard stood to say goodbye when Frank pulled out his phone. 

"I was wondering if you'd be cool with giving me your number? I had a lot of fun talking today and I figure since we live next to each other, it'd be good to be able to contact each other."

Gerard stood still, shocked, mouth gaping slightly. He was pretty sure this was a dream; there was no _freaking_ way that Frank Iero was actually asking him for his phone number. Jeez he needed to calm down - it was just a phone number! Friends gave each other their numbers too! This didn't mean Frank was actually interested in Gerard as anything other than a friendly neighbor. Automatically, Gerard reached for Frank's phone when he held it out, quickly entering his phone number. Frank looked delighted, and Gerard felt dizzy. Frank waved goodbye as he turned to leave the store, and Gerard stood there desperately trying not to stare at the man's ass as he walked away. Oh, God, he was _so fucked_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter should be up soon, thank you for all the kudos and comments! xo


	5. my friends wonder why i call you all of the time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to make up for the wait, here's another chapter! title from "kiss on my list" by hall & oates xo

Back at his apartment, Gerard tried not to nervously watch his phone for a text from frank, but was currently failing miserably. Groaning at his own desperation, he walked to the kitchen to get some blood. The canned stuff wasn't so bad, it would just never compare to actually feeding. Gerard pushed away thoughts of _that,_ though. He knew he couldn't fall into that particular downward spiral, again. Shuddering slightly, Gerard downed a can, savoring the soothing warmth in his throat. After feeding, Gerard plopped down on the couch to watch some Netflix. About twenty minutes into his first episode of _The X-Files_ , Gerard heard his phone buzz slightly.

Gerard practically leapt off the couch to grab his phone, cradling the small screen as if it were something precious. A notification shined up at him, brightly declaring that he had a new text from an unknown number.

_Unknown Number: hey, gee, it's frank! totally forgot to text ya earlier so you'd have my number lmao_

Gerard blushed slightly at the nickname, his cheeks warming with the recently acquired blood. He quickly assigned Frank's number to a new contact before typing out his short reply:

_Gerard: haha no worries_

After turning his phone back off, Gerard went sat down on the couch again and finished his _X-Files_ episode. He knew he had an early shift the next day, so after watching a couple more, he headed off to try to sleep. His dreams were filled with messy brown hair, piercing green-brown eyes, and dark pink lips with a flash of silver. In the morning, Gerard woke up hard, rutting against the sheets, and embarrassed as fuck. He quickly rubbed one out in the shower before slipping off to work.

Lindsey was working again that day, much to Gerard's relief. He got along fine with the other workers, but he was closest with Lindsey. Plus, he needed someone he could gush about Frank with. Lindsey had gotten to the store before him, and when Gerard walked through the chiming door, she looked up and immediately broke into a devilish smirk. "Someone's having a good day," she teased with a wink. Gerard blushed, praying she wasn't referring to any, well, _smells_ left over from the morning.

"I saw Frank again," he said, not even trying to control the grin that split across his face at the mere mention of the guy.

"Ooo!" Lindsey squealed, setting the stack of books she held down on the shelf and scurrying over to Gerard. "You saw him at the concert you went to with Mikey, right?" Gerard nodded. He had texted her just after leaving the club that night with the news.

"Yes, yes, but I also got coffee with him yesterday," he grinned.

Lindsey gasped and let out a mildly restrained giggle. "Wait, you mean to tell me that you, Gerard Way, actually managed to have enough of a conversation with this guy to get a date with him?"

Gerard pouted a little at her lack of faith in him before saying, "well, okay, it wasn't _really_ a date. Or, I don't know if it was? I ran into him on my way out of my apartment because apparently he lives in the same building as me? Anyway, he recognized me and when I said I was on my way to get coffee he asked if he could tag along."

Now Lindsey grinned, "oh, Gerard that was definitely a date," she said.

"I mean, I don't know though," Gerard replied, looking down at his shoes. "It was fun and he seemed to enjoy the time we spent together, but it wasn't very date-y, you know? We just talked about random stuff. He didn't try to make a move or anything."

Lindsey fixed Gerard with a strange look. "Well, did you attempt to make a move on him? Or say anything to, ya know, express your interest?"

"No," Gerard frowned, "but only because I don't even know if Frank's into guys, and I actually do want a shot at being friends with him either way, so I don't wanna scare him off by jumping the gun."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I can't believe how oblivious you are."

"What?" Gerard asked, confused.

"Look, I know I was in the back room while you were talking to _Mr. Perfect_ , but I could still smell him and his, well, interest in you," she smirked. "Plus I did pop my head out to see what was going on when I heard you fidgeting around and shuffling your feet like a loser." Gerard narrowed his eyes at her, but she rolled her eyes again and continued. "Look, all I'm saying is that this boy was looking at you as if you had hung the moon in the sky. He looked at you like i look at Hayley, okay? I'm positive he's at least a _little_ interested in you. And definitely not straight." Gerard groaned because Lindsey's point made sense, but he still felt like it was mostly wishful thinking.

"Whatever, I got his number and that's all that matters," Gerard grumbled.

"You asked for his number?" Lindsey asked, incredulous.

"Oh, um, no," Gerard looked down sheepishly. "He asked me."

"Oh my _God_ , Gerard!" Lindsey exclaimed. "First of all, you can't expect this guy to be making moves if you don't, too! He probably doesn't even think you're interested!" She cried. "And second, he asked for your number and you still don't think he's into you?"

"Okay, when you say it like that it sounds bad, but he asked me for my number so he could contact me in case he needed anything since we live so close."

Lindsey dropped her face in her hands, " _God_ , now I know how Mikey must feel."

Now Gerard rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm going to just, uh, see how it goes," he said before edging away towards the science fiction shelves.

"Yeah, sure. Let me know how that turns out," Lindsey smirked before disappearing into the back room. Gerard sighed and tried to return his focus to organizing the shelf, but his mind kept wandering to the warmth in his belly and the tingling in his finger tips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll love you forever if you comment ;) xo


	6. when the lights are dim and your hands are shaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im on fire hell yeah B) title from "lying is the most fun" by panic! xo

A number of people stopped by the store that day, but between customers Gerard found himself smiling at whatever texts Frank sent him. Whenever he looked up, Lindsey was smirking at him slyly. She even gave him a knowing wink once or twice, doing nothing to soothe Gerard's nerves. Frank had told him that his band was playing another show next week. Of course Gerard wanted to go; the band played great music and it was a chance to see Frank perform again. When Gerard told him this, Frank was ecstatic. He sent Gerard the information about when and where the concert would be, and Gerard was only a little surprised to see that Frank's band was going to play for a predominantly vampire bar.

The week seemed to drag on forever, and Gerard didn't manage to see Frank once. How could they never cross paths when they lived right next to each other? Gerard did occasionally hear Frank through the thin walls though, usually on the phone with someone. There were a couple times when Gerard cursed his vampire hearing; he'd be sitting at the TV, sketching and watching some science fiction movie, when he would hear a sharp gasp next door.

Now, Gerard wasn't a _total_ creep; he didn't go out of his way to listen to Frank, he just kept an ear peeled to be sure Frank was never in danger. The gasp could've been an indication of danger, he reasoned, tuning in to the other side of the wall a bit more. But the next sound definitely was not a bad one; it was a soft, breathy moan, and Gerard was positive that in that moment, all the blood he had just consumed shot straight to his cock. Snapping his focus back to the television, he tried to tune out the desperate sounds coming from his neighbor. His _incredibly hot_ neighbor.

Gerard refused to touch himself that night, feeling dirty after hearing Frank get off, even if he didn't really mean to.

When the night of the concert finally rolled around, Gerard was itching to see Frank again. He dug through his closet to find his tightest skinny jeans to pair with yet another band tee and his leather jacket. After a final check in the mirror - yes he _can_ see his reflection - Gerard headed out of the apartment building.

He hailed a cab and gave the drive the directions to the bar. It was a short ride there, and by the time they arrived, Gerard was overcome with nerves. He knew he didn't actually have anything to be worried about, after all it was Frank performing, not him, but he was still terrified he'd manage to somehow mess things up with Frank. Gathering his courage, Gerard paid the driver and stepped out into the cool night air. The slight bite of the cold helped Gerard focus, and his nerves subsided a bit.

Inside the bar, Gerard found himself surrounded by vampires; there were only two or three humans that he could smell other than Frank and his band members. Gerard ordered a drink from the bar, something fairly weak mixed with finer canned blood. He wanted to loosen his nerves, not his mouth. There was definitely no need for Gerard's inhibitions to be lowered enough for him to say something embarrassing. He shuddered a bit at the thought.

After just a few minutes of waiting by the bar, Gerard saw Frank's band move onto the stage. He watched keenly as they set up their equipment, Frank carrying his guitar and adjusting the mic to his height. Gerard bit his tongue to keep from smiling at Frank's scowl at the too-tall microphone. The band set up quickly, announcing their name and members before thanking the bar for hosting them. As they started their first song, Gerard made his way into the crowd of vampires. Frank had texted him earlier, telling Gerard he should find a spot to the front left side of the room, so Gerard made his way over. Gerard smiled a bit to himself, seeing that the front left was next to where Frank was spending most of his time.

The music was intoxicating, passionate. Gerard felt his senses cloud not unpleasantly; everything was drowned out by the sound of Frank's voice. His hair stuck to his face in places and his forehead was slick with sweat, making him look disheveled. Gerard swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat. Frank was wearing tight black jeans with rips across the knees. He had on a short sleeved shirt that exposed his tattoos and _fuck_ Gerard didn't know he had a thing for tattoos. Maybe he didn't have a thing for _all_ tattoos but he _definitely_ had a thing for Frank's.

During the second song, Frank spotted Gerard in the crowd, and when his dark eyes met Gerard's, he smiled around the words he sang. Gerard's stomach fluttered and he felt a soft blush rise to his cheeks. Frank and his band continued to play their set, which included both songs Gerard had heard and new ones. The final song Frank's band started into had a faster, desperate feeling to it. Gerard felt swallowed up by the passion of the song. During this song, Frank seemed to get even more caught up in the music; his eyes were closed as he sang emphatically into the microphone, lips almost pressed against it.

There was a short break in the song where Frank played but didn't sing; his tattooed fingers moved artfully across his guitar, mesmerizing Gerard. Frank, clearly even more enveloped in the song's feeling than Gerard, tipped his head to the side and licked a slow, sultry stripe up the microphone, lids heavy as he looked out from under dark lashes that contrasted his pale skin. Choking on a breath, Gerard was distantly aware of people cheering, but he was too caught up in that image of Frank. It was seared into his retinas and _shit_ how would he be able to look frank in the eye after all the thoughts that were racing through his head.

Gerard was completely and utterly  _fucked._

Frank returned to singing, looking out at the crowd with a playful smirk. The song wrapped up, and the band said goodbye to the crowd and thanked them one last time before walking off the side of the stage. Gerard was still a bit dazed from what he'd just seen, so he jumped when someone tapped his shoulder.

"Gee?" came Frank's familiar voice. "Did you like the show? We played some new songs so I don't think you had heard them all before."

Gerard sucked in a breath, trying to calm himself, but when he turned around he practically gasped at the sight before him. Frank looked absolutely _wrecked_. His hair was messy, sweat was dripping down his neck, his pupils were huge, eyes dark, and he had bitten his lips until they were deep red and swollen. Thank God Gerard wore such tight jeans.

Gerard licked his lips, "oh! Um, yeah you guys looked great! And sounded great! The new songs were really cool and you looked super into it," Gerard said.

Frank blushed a bit at the last part. "Uh, yeah I - uh- that last song was new and I'd never really felt the energy of it before since we haven't performed it," Frank said, blushing and looking down.

Gerard was a bit taken aback by how bashful Frank suddenly seemed. "I-I didn't mean it was bad; just that you looked and sounded really passionate. Nothing wrong with that! The crowd seemed to love it," Gerard trailed off.

The familiar smirk returned to play on Frank's features. "Yeah they did seem to like it, huh?" Gerard nodded, smiling while fighting off his blush. "I'd love to talk more, but I've gotta go help the band pack everything up. I'll see you around?" Frank asked, as if Gerard might choose to never see him again.

"Definitely!" Gerard chirped, immediately berating himself for sounding so eager. Frank waved goodbye as he turned to disappear behind the stage, and Gerard was left standing in the middle of a crowded bar, half hard in his skinny jeans, and wishing he could just toughen up and ask Frank out.

Gerard caught a cab ride back to his house. He spent the whole trip trying not to shift uncomfortably, and when they reached his building, he quickly paid and scurried up to his apartment.

Gerard sank down onto his mattress and groaned before finally giving in to the temptation. He flopped over onto his back and shucked off his pants. As soon as he was free of his confining skinny jeans, he dragged a palm over his dick, sighing at the slight relief. He pulled down his boxers and licked a wet stripe up his palm before taking his cock in hand, stroking it slowly. Soft moans filled his room as he gradually worked himself faster, willing away thoughts of Frank. His muffled sounds grew faster, panting and gasping between wanton moans. All it took was a twist of his hand just under the head of his cock and he was coming over his stomach with a sharp gasp. He worked himself through it before reaching for tissues to clean himself up. Gerard felt dirty. It felt wrong to have gotten so turned on by someone who only saw him as a friend. He groaned and threw his head down into his hands. It was really fucking weird to jerk off to his _friend_ who _probably_ _didn't even like guys!_

Despite his ethical qualms with the situation, he _was_ incredibly tired and began to drift off to sleep, just before he would have heard a drawn-out moan from the apartment next door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry, jesus


	7. chasing desire through the night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im feeling so inspired rn so here is ANOTHER chapter ! title is from "the outskirts of paradise" by bad suns (11/10 recommend, their music wrecks me) xo

The next day, Gerard woke up feeling _especially_ well rested. Rubbing his eyes and sitting up, he looked to his window to see light filtering in between the blinds. He figured it was probably some time midday, so he decided to get out of bed.

Gerard waddled over to his dresser to retrieve his phone. The screen displayed notifications for several texts. Sighing, Gerard unlocked his phone.

Mikey had texted him about twenty minutes ago to let him know he was on his way over to visit. _Awesome_ , thought Gerard. He was barely awake and his little brother would probably be at his apartment within ten minutes.

The other texts however had come from Frank. Just after Gerard had fallen asleep the previous night, it appeared that Frank had texted him.

_Frank: sorry we didnt get to talk more last night_

_Frank: it was really cool of you to come watch tho!_

_Frank: if you want I can let you know next time we have a show ?_

Gerard smiled to himself. As difficult as it was for him to comprehend, Frank actually seemed interested in pursuing a friendship with Gerard. Sure, Gerard still desperately wanted more with Frank, but he was certainly willing to go for a friendship if that was what Frank wanted.

Gerard typed up a quick response before gathering his clothes to get dressed.

_Gerard: no worries! and if youre offering I would love to come to more of your shows :)_

Gerard slipped into a pair of loose jeans and threw on a worn-out band shirt. With no work today and only Mikey coming to visit, Gerard wasn’t all that worried about his appearance.

For the remaining few minutes before Mikey was due, Gerard skimmed a comic he had already read a number of times. Sure enough, Mikey arrived right on time, knocking on Gerard’s apartment door.

“Hey, Mikes,” Gerard smiled as he opened the door for his little brother.

“Hey, Gee,” Mikey said, slipping past Gerard. Mikey plopped down on Gerard’s couch before turning to narrow his eyes at Gerard. “You look awfully chipper for someone I am assuming woke up in the last ten minutes,” he said, eyebrow raised.

Gerard sighed, smiling a bit. “Uh, you know the guy I mentioned? From the book store?”

“The one you haven’t shut up about for the last month? No, I have no idea who you’re referring to,” Mikey drawled, rolling his eyes. “Ya know, Gee, even Lindsey complained to me that you keep yapping about this guy. She said you were making gross googly eyes whenever you mentioned him.”

Gerard felt his face flush. “I – look, I don’t talk about him _that_ much, okay? Plus, you’re the one who’s been trying to get me laid for the last few months.”

Mikey barked out a laugh. “So, did you?”

Gerard shifted where he stood. “Um, well, I didn’t, I haven’t really…” he trailed off. “I don’t know if Frank’s interested?”

Mikey groaned. “Oh _God_ , you haven’t even found out if the guy’s gay yet, have you?” Gerard’s pointed stare at his shoes was all the answer Mikey needed. “Gerard, I love you, but you’re a fucking train wreck,” Mikey deadpanned.

Gerard groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes. “ _Fuck_ , okay you think I don’t know that?”

Mikey sighed, “Well, I guess I’m still pretty impressed you haven’t completely lost you shit yet.” Gerard glared up at Mikey through his curtain of dark hair. “Oh, don’t give me that, Gerard,” Mikey snapped. “We both know it’s _entirely_ in your nature to run for the hills every time you interact with someone you’re interested in.”

Gerard sighed, resignedly. “Okay, okay, I get it. I suck at the whole relationship thing and you’re a fucking god at it, right?”

Mikey smirked, “glad to see we’re on the same page, then.”

Gerard scoffed, “whatever. What I mean is, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but what would you do? If you were me, I mean.”

“Well, if I were you, I would probably invite Frank over some time. I mean, you do live right next to each other,” Mikey looked at Gerard pointedly.

Gerard felt a pang of anxiety rush over him. “I – okay, but, what if he like, sees that as too forward?” Gerard asked, stumbling over his words.

Mikey groaned. “Gee, c’mon, friends hang out all the time! He’s not gonna think you’re trying to jump his bones just ‘cause you invite him over.” Gerard gave a noncommittal grunt. “Here, what if you had me, Ray, Lindsey, and Hayley over some time, and invited Frank to join? That way your fear of somehow coming on too strong – _even though you’re not coming on at all_ – is eased. Just a bunch of friends hanging out, sound good?”

Gerard perked up at that. “I-I guess?” Gerard mulled it over in his mind. As much as he hated to admit it, Mikey’s plan actually sounded pretty good. “Wait,” Gerard paused, narrowing his eyes at Mikey. “You gotta swear that you and the others won’t try to embarrass me when Frank is over, okay?”

Mikey scoffed, placing a hand to his chest dramatically, looking hurt. “Gosh, Gee, I can’t believe how little faith you have in me. I would never do anything to purposefully make you look like the fool you are in front of your hot date.” Mikey’s theatrical expression of offense morphed into one of devilish glee.

Gerard groaned. This was certainly going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooooo, i know i havent finished this fic yet, but im thinking about potentially starting another? ofc ill still work on and finish this one (we're gettin to the good stuff lads), but ive been wanting to write a fic about witch!gerard and ghost!frank? lmk if you'd be interested? thanks for reading :) xo


	8. too much too late or just not enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh im sorry i totally meant to have this ready a week ago but school was killing me and then i spent all weekend with the gf and had no time to write oops (/_\\) i hope you all enjoy this, i'm not super happy with where i went with this chapter, but i hope it sets up the rest of the story the way i want it to..... title is from prison by mcr of course :) xo

_Frank_. Also known as, the only damn thing Gerard’s been able to think about for the last week. After his pep talk with Mikey, Gerard begrudgingly gave in and texted Frank, asking if he’d be interested in hanging out with Gerard and a small group of friends. Despite Frank’s excited response, Gerard was _seriously freaking the fuck out_.

 

What if his friends were too pushy and scared Frank off? Seriously, Gerard loves them, but they can be a _bit_ much. Or what if Frank ended up getting wigged out by being around so many vampires? Sure, he seemed cool with Gerard, but there’s a difference between a human and one incredibly lame vampire being together in a public place and a whole group of vampires inviting a single human into a private apartment. The more Gerard thought about it, the more he worried that the whole thing was one huge mistake.

 

Gerard’s cycle of anxiety came to a peak the day of the party; though he was shocked he made it that far.

 

Mikey and Ray were the first to arrive; Lindsey and Hayley both had work and were running late, and Frank’s band practice wouldn’t finish for another ten minutes.

 

Gerard opened the door to his apartment, and Mikey immediately pushed through, making a beeline for the kitchen, mumbling, “hey, Gee,” on his way.

 

Rolling his eyes, Gerard turned to greet Ray, who thanked Gerard for having him over with a small smile before settling down on the couch. Gerard followed Ray and perched on the arm of one of the large chairs. Mikey popped out of the kitchen with an armful of food and sodas, which he dispersed over the living room table before joining Ray on the couch.

 

The three made small talk for a few minutes, with Gerard throwing in the occasional warning to Mikey about not making Frank uncomfortable. Mikey just rolled his eyes, doing nothing to soothe Gerard’s nerves.

 

There was a knock on the door, and Gerard immediately sprang to attention, declaring, “I’ll get it,” before rushing to let in the next guest.

 

“Hey, man, sorry I’m late,” Frank said, smiling hesitantly at Gerard.

 

“Don’t worry about it, come in,” Gerard said, putting on a smile he hoped was comfortable despite the sharp points of his fangs. He stepped to the side to let Frank enter. “This is my little brother, Mikey,” he said, pointing, “and this is his roommate, Ray.”

 

“Nice to meet you!” Frank said cheerfully, giving an endearingly small wave to the men on the couch.

 

“Um, make yourself comfortable? We have food and sodas, and you can sit wherever. Two more people are coming, but they won’t need much space,” Gerard said, and Mikey snorted.

 

As if on queue, there was a knock at the door. Frank moved to sit on the loveseat – _of fucking course he did_ – and Gerard went to let Lindsey and Hayley inside.

 

“Gee! It’s nice to finally meet you!” Hayley exclaimed, exuding bubbly excitement.

 

“Yeah! It’s nice to meet you, too!” Gerard smiled, turning to Lindsey, who was wearing a shit-eating grin.

 

“Hey, Gee,” she said, smirk growing, eyes sparkling evilly. “Is your _special guest_ here yet?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

 

Gerard’s cheeks flushed, and he glared pointedly at Lindsey, shaking his head slightly. Lindsey laughed before taking Hayley’s hand and dragging her inside.

 

“You must be Frank!” she grinned, before reaching out with her free hand to shake Frank’s. Frank looked slightly overwhelmed, but not panicked as Gerard had feared. “I’ve heard _so_ much about you! I’m Lindsey, and this is Hayley.”

 

“Hi Lindsey, Hayley, it’s nice to meet you two,” Frank said, easing into a more relaxed smile.

 

Lindsey and Hayley made their way over to a large, soft chair at the side of the room, Lindsey sitting herself down before pulling Hayley down into her lap, giggling and kissing her cheeks before planting a chaste kiss on Hayley’s lips.

 

“Ugh, don’t be gross Linds,” Mikey groaned, earning himself a glare from the couple.

 

“Are you two, like, a couple?” Frank asked, looking a little out of his depth.

 

“Yep! Getting close to a hundred years together, right, babe?” Lindsey said, smiling at her girlfriend, before turning back to Frank with an uncertain look. “That’s not gonna be a problem, is it?” She asked, with a warning harshness in her eyes.

 

“Oh, no! Of course not,” Frank stumbled over himself, looking apologetic. “I’d never – I don’t have any problem with it! That’s actually really cool you’ve been together for so long. I’ve always wanted to find someone I could spend my life with.”

 

“Any kind of someone?” Lindsey pressed, smirk returning. She could see Frank’s blush growing, and didn’t miss the low, warning growl from Gerard.

 

“Yes?” Frank said, uncertainly. “I mean, I really only like guys, but I’m not opposed to dating any kind of person,” he finished, blushing madly.

 

Gerard shot Lindsey another glare, disapproving of her probing into Frank’s personal life, but still giddy with the information that Frank wasn’t straight. Maybe he had a chance after all?

 

“Cool, Linds and Hayley are gay, Frank’s gay, and Gerard’s gay,” Mikey deadpanned. “Now that we have that settled, can we do something interesting?”

 

Gerard, wearing a blush to match Frank’s – and _completely missing_ the excited look Frank was making at him – asked, “what do you want to do, Mikey?”

 

“Well, considering that we _all_ know you aren’t known for your party conversation skills,” he said, earning a stern look from Gerard and giggles from the women in the chair, “we could watch a movie.”

 

“Yes! Gerard can we please?” Lindsey asked.

 

“Okay, yeah, sure,” Gerard said, feeling his blush calm down. “Is, uh, Star Wars good with everyone?”

 

Mikey groaned in disapproval, but the rest of the group made sounds of agreement, so Gerard set up the DVD before awkwardly standing by the TV and looking around the room uncertainly.

 

Mikey snorted, and Gerard finally made his way over to the loveseat that Frank was seated on. Frank turned to Gerard, and smiled comfortingly.

 

The group settled into comfortable banter, discussing theories and other Star Wars meta throughout the movie. Gerard was impressed by Frank’s interest in what he was saying, and soon the two were deep in conversation about gender in alien races. Gerard could hardly contain his glee, gesturing emphatically, while Frank nodded along, seeming enthralled. Mikey could hardly suppress his giggled at the two’s combined nerdiness, while Ray, Hayley, and Lindsey exchanged knowing looks.

 

The evening moved by quickly, and soon Mikey and Ray were heading out to return home. On his way out the door, Mikey winked at Frank from behind Gerard, causing him to blush confusedly. After just a little while later, Lindsey and Hayley announced they were going home, too because, “we’d rather be having wild lesbian sex than third-wheeling you and Frank’s nerd date,” as Lindsey put it, earning flustered looks from Frank and Gerard, and a gentle slap on the arm from Hayley.

 

After his friends left, Gerard felt suddenly overwhelmed by being alone with Frank. _Frank,_ who was sitting so close to Gerard – _when did he get that close?_ – and had dark eyes and slick red lips, and _wow,_ Gerard needed to _not_ think about that. Realizing Frank had asked him something, Gerard sputtered out, “What?” with an amazing lack of eloquence.

 

Frank giggled – _giggled_ – before smiling good-naturedly and repeating himself. “I asked when you were kicking me out, since I don’t have to drive home like the others did.”

 

Gerard resisted the urge to make a joke about never wanting to kick Frank out of anywhere, but it _was_ getting late. “I guess you can leave whenever you want?”

 

“Not that I actually want to leave right now, but I probably should head back to my place soon to rest,” Frank said, holding back from saying anything ridiculous like the fact that he didn’t know if he’d ever _want_ to leave Gerard’s apartment.

 

“Okay, well, I’ll see you around? Take any food you want with you,” Gerard said, standing as Frank did and following him to the door.

 

“Good night, Gee,” Frank smiled. “I had a lot of fun tonight,” he said as he stepped into the doorway, coming closer to Gerard.

 

“’Night, Frank,” Gerard said, trying to even out his breath with Frank standing so close. The latter smiled wider, and stepped closer to Gerard, glancing at his lips before patting his shoulder and mumbling, “’night,” before heading out into the hall.

 

Gerard closed the door before turning around to lean against it. _What the fuck?_ Was Gerard imagining things, or had Frank been about to kiss him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im gonna try to update soon! let me know what you think xo


	9. (if you're wondering if i want you to) i want you to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> something a little different for this chapter, so i hope you guys enjoy! title is from a song of the same name by weezer xo

The day Frank walked into that bookstore was, up until that point, utterly unremarkable. He was stopping at the _third_ bookstore that day, fruitlessly searching for music theory books.

 

He heard a whimsical bell chime as he crossed the threshold of the store, and looked around briefly, wonder where – if at all – there was a music section. Thankfully, he saw someone move out of the corner of his eye, and the person who stepped out from behind a shelf appeared to be an employee.

 

Except.

 

The pale man who stood before him had glittering red eyes, raven-black hair that looked like he had been pulling at it fussily, and sharp, stark white fangs. Frank didn’t _necessarily_ have a thing for vampires – he was still mildly on edge around them – but he was absolutely positive that this one was the most beautiful he’d ever seen.

 

Frank asked the vampire – _Gerard_ – for help finding the books he needed, but he was rushing off to a back room all too quickly for Frank to talk to him more. Sighing wistfully, Frank turned to scan the shelf for what he was looking for, but once again found nothing. As he went to leave the store, he looked over his shoulder one last time to see if he could spot that fascinating employee, but Gerard was no where to be seen, and Frank made his way back out into the chilly air.

 

As much as Frank tried to focus on his quest, he just kept replaying the interaction with Gerard in his head. He’d never met a vampire who was so…non-threatening? Sure, most vampires treated humans well – they didn’t lose their morality when their hearts stopped – but there was still a sort of power imbalance. Something like, “I could kill you in less than a second, but I don’t have reason to. Yet.” Although maybe that was just Frank’s unease talking.

 

Nevertheless, there was something different about Gerard. Many vampires were sort of like gods in their flawless appearance, ageless and graceful, but not Gerard. He was gorgeous, sure, but his demeanor and nervousness around Frank was so endearingly _human_.

 

By the time Frank realized he had been so wrapped up in thinking about Gerard, he had already walked past the next store he was supposed to stop at.

 

This was gonna be a long week.

 

 

Eventually, Frank had begun to admit to himself that the chances of him seeing Gerard again without stopping by the store were slim to none, so he resolved to stop by the bookstore.

 

Greeted by the same chiming bell, Frank looked around the store; scanning the shelves, his eyes fell on a different pair of bright red ones.

 

“Hello! I’m Lindsey, how can I help you?” The woman chirped, sliding around the shelf to stand across from Frank.

 

“Oh, it’s fine, I was just…” Frank trailed off. _Fuck, why didn’t I come up with some excuse for being here?_ “I’m just looking around, but thanks,” he finished with a slightly bashful smile. The woman, Lindsey, flashed him a toothy – _wow –_ grin before heading back to the shelf she had been occupied with.

 

Frank wandered around the store for a bit before realizing that Gerard must not be there. As he turned to leave the store, he was startled by a hand on his shoulder.

 

“You came in here earlier this week, right?” Lindsey asked him, head tilted quizzically. “Frank? Was that it?”

 

“Uh, yeah that’s me,” Frank stammered. “I don’t, I didn’t see you last time though?”

 

“Oh! Yeah, sorry, I was in the back room. Gerard was the one who helped you, yes?”

 

“Yeah, yeah Gerard helped me,” Frank said, tension fading from his body. “He isn’t here today, is he?” he asked hopefully.

 

Lindsey smirked, knowingly, but replied, “No, sorry to disappoint, he has the day off. Was there something you needed to tell him about? Was his service last time not satisfactory?”

 

“No, no,” Frank said hurriedly. “He was perfect – or, great! I just thought I’d come back…”

 

“To see Gerard?” Lindsey asked, smiling wider.

 

Frank’s eyes widened. “Um, no?” he said, hesitantly.

 

“Hey, no need to be shy, I’m sure he would’ve been absolutely _delighted_ to see you again,” she said.

 

“Really?” Frank asked, surprised and more than a little bit excited.

 

“Totally! He’s gonna freak when I tell him you stopped by,” she said, grinning.

 

“Wait, no, um,” Frank stammered, “maybe don’t tell him? I don’t want to weird him out or anything.”

 

Lindsey snorted, as if Frank had made some hilarious joke, but agreed not to tell Gerard. “Your secret is safe with me,” she said with a wink.

 

Frank thanked her and headed out the door, mind whirring away with all that just happened.

 

 

The night that Frank played at the club, he was excited to let off some of the tension that had accumulated over the past weeks. He and his bandmates had been practicing nearly every day in preparation.

 

When it was time for Frank’s band to start their set, they started off with one of their more known songs. Part of the way through, Frank seemed to feel the itching press of someone’s gaze on him, so he searched the crowd, before meeting a pair of familiar red eyes. _Gerard_.

 

And _wow,_ Gerard looked _really good_. Frank had been struck by the man’s beauty in the bookstore, but now Gerard was wearing tight black jeans that Frank immediately _knew_ would be haunting his dreams. Only slightly consciously, Frank slipped his tongue out, dragging it across his lip before returning to roaming the crowd with his gaze.

 

For the rest of the set, Frank may or may not have tried to play up his sex appeal; later on, his bandmates would tease him for “looking like a bottom bitch if we ever saw one,” which made him blush from embarrassment and a little bit of pride. He had spent quite a bit of their time on stage down on his knees, splaying his legs a bit wider than was strictly necessary. He’d always been teased about the pornographic faces he made while performing, but he hadn’t found it in himself to hold back during this particular gig.

 

Frank blamed the situation in his pants on the excitement of performing, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about black-clad thighs and wide, red eyes as he came into his fist.

 

 

The next morning, Frank showered before getting ready to leave his apartment. On his way out into the hall, he was preoccupied with thoughts of the previous night and ran straight into his neighbor, who happened to be none other than _fucking Gerard of course_.

 

Apologizing and making conversation with the man he had _literally just_ jerked off to, Frank was overcome with affection for the vampire. His demeanor was exactly the same as the last time they spoke; he was flustered and nervous in an adorable way, and Frank made it his mission to get the vampire blushing as much as possible. It was such an overwhelmingly _human_ thing and it made Frank’s stomach flutter.

 

When Gerard mentioned getting coffee, Frank put on a brave face to mask the hesitation in his bones as he casually invited himself to go with Gerard. Gerard’s response was positive, but Frank couldn’t help but wonder if Gerard was just being polite, wanted to be a friend, or wanted to go on a _date_.

 

 

Coffee went well. Frank learned a bit about Gerard, and got to hear his weird but endearing honk of a laugh, which he counted as a positive. By the time Frank needed to leave, he still _could not tell_ if Gerard was interested.

 

Going out on a limb, Frank asked Gerard for his phone number, but again wasn’t met with any kind of confirmation of interest.

 

Frustrating.

 

 

Now that he knew Gerard lived next to him, Frank tried to catch Gerard around the apartment building, but had no such luck.

 

However, Frank knew about vampires’ “super hearing,” so he made slightly less of an effort to keep the noise level down in his apartment. He sang, played music, and talked on the phone just a bit louder than usual, and made absolutely no effort to muffle his moans when masturbating. Just in case.

 

In hindsight, maybe it was a little bit creepy to try and make it so his hot vampire neighbor could hear him, but it was mostly really hot. Plus, maybe Gerard’s vampiric super powers would let him know what ( _who_ ) Frank was thinking about. Unlikely, but a guy could hope.

 

 

When Gerard agreed to come to another concert, Frank was beyond ecstatic. He picked out especially tight jeans and tousled his hair more than usual before the show.

 

Once again, Frank put on as mush of a show as he could, letting himself really get lost in the music. During the last song, he was struck by the memory of Gerard staring at his mouth, so he, only slightly ( _very_ ) deliberately mouthed at his microphone, licking a stripe up it and looking out at the audience from beneath his lashes. The cheers and catcalls that he earned filled him with satisfaction as he ended the song.

 

When Frank caught up with Gerard after the show, he knew _exactly_ what he looked like; he’d hooked up with enough people after shows that he was aware of his appearance and the effects it had on some people. He watched Gerard closely while they talked, but he couldn’t tell if the hungry glint in Gerard’s dark red eyes was the desire Frank hoped it was.

 

In the end, Frank left feeling just as confused as before. It sure wasn’t easy, wooing a vampire.

 

 

Gerard’s invitation for Frank to come over wasn’t _exactly_ the invitation Frank had been hoping for, but he was still looking forward to getting to meet Gerard’s friends.

 

Throughout the night, Frank had trouble deciphering Gerard’s behavior; he seemed almost protective of Frank around his friends, yet seemed reluctant, if not _uncomfortable_ , to sit on the same couch as Frank.

 

Despite the mixed signals from Gerard, Lindsey spent most of the evening throwing suggestive looks Frank’s way.

 

By the time he was ready to return to his apartment, he and Gerard were alone. Once again, Gerard seemed nervous as hell. Part of Frank so _desperately_ wanted to kiss Gerard; his body felt tugged towards the dark haired man, and his lips itched for contact.

 

This part of him won out, and he slowly moved towards Gerard as they were saying their goodbyes, gauging his reaction. Gerard’s reaction though, was wide eyes and a panic-stricken expression, so Frank tried to pass off his advance as something platonic.

 

That night, Frank laid in bed, awake for hours, mulling over every interaction he’d had with Gerard since they first met, trying to decipher what the _fuck_ Gerard felt for him.

 

Once again, _frustrating_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all the comments and kudos, i adore you all <3 i'm hoping to have more POV switches during the story (i loved writing Frank in this one), so lmk what you think! xo


	10. if you got feelings for me you just gotta speak honestly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from what's it gonna be by shura

In the days following his encounter (almost-kiss?) with Frank, Gerard only saw him a couple times. Living in the same apartment meant catching glimpses of each other every once in a while. Part of Gerard was a little glad he never had prolonged contact with the man, as the longer he spent in Frank's presence, the more time he had to make a fool of himself. However, most of him wanted to see Frank again. 

 

Gerard spent some time talking to his brother about the situation; Mikey never seemed to have any trouble letting people know his intentions with them, and Gerard hoped some of that bravery would rub off on him. 

 

"Well, you might wanna start by _actually_ asking him out. Or even asking to see him as a _friend_ ," Mikey suggested. "You can't expect to get anywhere if you don't even try to approach the guy."

 

"I know, I know," Gerard groaned, head in hands. "It's so easy to make all these plans about what I'm gonna do and say when I see him, but then it actually gets to that moment and I freeze up! I just fuckin' stutter all over the place and can't say what I want to say."

 

Mikey smirked, "Yeah, Gee, that's what having a crush is like. Ya just gotta toughen up and go for it. Wouldn't you rather find out if he's interested in you now and face possible rejection before you get too invested?"

 

" _God_ , stop making so much sense," Gerard groaned, tangling his hands in his dark hair. "And don't think I don't resent the 'crush' comment; I'm not some fuckin' schoolgirl."

 

"Sure," Mikey grinned, patting his brother's shoulder in mock sympathy. Gerard glared, but Mikey just continued, "I guess if you want my advice, I'd say try hanging out with him some more, see if you can gauge his feelings, and then if you think he's down, ask him out, and if it seems platonic, you've still made a friend."

 

Gerard looked up at his brother, their scarlet eyes meeting. He could feel the sincerity rolling off of Mikey, and knew that as much as it pained him to admit, his baby brother was right. "Thanks for putting up with me and my damn wreck of a romantic life," he said, smiling sheepishly. 

 

"No worries, man," Mikey smiled, "after all, if not me, who would you ask about this stuff? _Pete_?" Gerard snorted. "Exactly. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

 

"Yeah, I'd rather ask Lindsey, and god knows she'd just get all sappy about it and drag Hayley in and that's too many witnesses to my utter lack of romancing skills." Gerard smiled, "really though, thanks, Mikey."

 

"'Course," Mikey's mouth quirked up into a small grin, "I mean who else would put up with your desperation? That's clearly my job."

 

Gerard snorted and rolled his eyes. 

* * *

The next day, Gerard sat in his kitchen, sipping his cup of heated up blood and holding his phone. He was determined to at least text Frank; his conversation with Mikey had left him with a burst of confidence, so he wanted to act before the feeling wore off.    


 

He could do this. 

 

As his fingers hovered over the letters on his screen, he came up with a dozen different ways to ask Frank to spend time with him - and a dozen reasons not to pick up the phone. A feeling of anxiety and dread began roiling around in his stomach. Swallowing hard, Gerard resolved to quit overthinking and just go for it. That was what Mikey would want him to do. 

 

He typed out his message, pausing briefly to skim over it before holding his breath as he hit "send":

 

Gerard: hey frank! any chance you'd like to come over some time soon? I had fun last time, but I'd like to see you without my friends there trying to make a fool out of me lol. let me know if something works for you

 

Gerard tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach, although "butterflies" felt more like "a pit of writhing cobras."

 

He could do this. 

* * *

Frank was making himself a salad when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Setting a head of romaine down, he pulled out his phone. The display proclaimed brightly that he had a new message from Gerard. His pulse quickened slightly as he went to open the text.    


 

Gerard was asking to see him again, and without his friends? As in, _alone_? After the rejection frank had felt the previous time he'd seen his neighbor, he was certain Gerard wanted nothing to do with him. Apparently he was wrong. Maybe Gerard just wanted to be friends? Or he could be someone who preferred to get to know people as friends before dating them? Either way, Frank counted this as a win. He smiled wide as he came up with a response:

 

Frank: hey gee! I'd love to hang some time, does tomorrow night work?

 

Frank worried for a second that asking to see Gerard the next day might come off as desperate, but Gerard responded almost immediately that he was free. 

 

After setting his phone on the counter, Frank couldn't contain his happiness, grinning madly as he finished making his salad. 

* * *

By the time the next night rolled around, the two had made plans to spend their time at Frank's apartment so he could show Gerard a new song he was working on with his guitar.    


 

Gerard arrived right on time, and was greeted by Frank's grin as he was ushered inside. 

 

They spent hours laughing and talking, joking around and enjoying each other's company. Frank played a few songs for Gerard, who didn't bother to try and hide how excited he was about the music. Gerard promised to show Frank some of his sketches some time, to which Frank enthusiastically voiced his excitement. 

 

Overall, the initial awkwardness seemed to have worn off a bit. Gerard still stumbled over his words every once in a while, and Frank blushed gorgeously whenever Gerard complimented him. The latter was one hundred percent intentional on Gerard's part; not only did Frank look ridiculously adorable with pink coloring his face and neck, he smelled amazing too. Gerard could feel the heat coming off Frank's skin every time they made even the briefest contact with each other. 

 

Frank and Gerard both managed to touch each other as much as possible without being too obvious. They exchanged passing contact; hands would brush when they walked by each other, they sat close together on the couch, Gerard grasped Frank's wrist when dragging him off somewhere, and Frank was sure to brush Gerard's arms and legs when gesturing. 

 

When it got to be too late for Frank, Gerard headed back to his apartment, beyond pleased with how the evening had gone. He'd gotten to hear Frank sing and play again - which was no less hot in person than at the concerts - and he had a great time with Frank. It was so hard for Gerard to tell, but he felt like maybe, just _maybe_ , Frank's feelings weren't strictly platonic. 

 

Gerard was gonna do it; he was going to ask Frank out. 

* * *

"Mikey, I think he likes me," Gerard said excitedly into the phone as soon as his brother picked up. "I think he likes me and I'm gonna ask him out."   


 

"Hello to you too, Gerard," said a voice that was decidedly _not_ Mikey's. 

 

"Pete?" Gerard asked, eyes going wide, just as Pete said, "so who's the lucky guy?"

 

"Oh, uh, his name's Frank?" Gerard said, but it came out as a question. He cleared his throat, "Frank Iero?"

 

"Frank Iero?" Pete repeated, and Gerard could hear the tone of recognition in his friend's voice. _Oh no_. "I know that guy! Didn't think he was your type or I woulda introduced you two! So what's this about you guys hooking up?"

 

Gerard's face warmed, "sorry, can we go back to the part where you know my hot neighbor?"

 

Pete's grin was practically audible, "yeah, me and Frank met a couple years ago at a show we were both playing. Haven't talked to him in a few months but he's a cool guy."

 

"Yeah," Gerard mumbled, still reeling from the revelation of their mutual friend. Just then, he heard Mikey's voice on the other end of the phone. 

 

"Pete, if you're done harassing my poor brother, I did want to talk to him."

 

"Yeah, yeah, just a second," Pete shot back. "Anyway, Gee, good luck with your romantic endeavors; I just hope you can handle that kinky little fucker."

 

Gerard blushed madly and stuttered out a hesitant thank you before he heard Pete hand the phone over to Mikey. 

 

"So," his little brother said, "you're actually gonna do it, huh?"

 

"Yeah," Gerard replied, taking care to keep his voice stable. 

 

"You wanna talk about it? I swear I won't tell Pete how _disgustingly_ gone you are for this boy," Mikey said, smirking. 

 

"Thanks, Mikey," Gerard said, rolling his eyes. "And I appreciate your concern, but I think I'm just gonna go for it? That's what you're always doing, right?"

 

"You've come so far," Mikey snorted, "good luck."

 

"Thanks, Mikes," Gerard said before they both hung up. 

 

Even though Gerard didn't technically need to breathe, he sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to soothe his nerves. He could do this; after all, he'd survived much worse than the rejection of some boy. It was just that Frank didn't seem like "just some boy;" Gerard knew he was probably being silly, but he felt a real connection blooming between himself and Frank. To be honest, it scared him a bit. But he knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least _try_ with Frank. 

 

After calming down a little, Gerard made his decision; after work tomorrow, he would go over to Frank's apartment and ask him on a date. 

* * *

Tomorrow arrived, and it was taking all of Gerard's willpower to not back out of his plan. He spent his entire day at work distracted and worried. Lindsey noticed, being the perceptive woman she was, but she didn't say anything when Gerard kept zoning out or dropping things. Maybe Lindsey just knew Gerard well enough at this point that she was able to figure out what was going on, but Gerard liked to think he wasn't that predictable, so his guess was that Mikey said something to her. As much as he sometimes despised his brother's meddling, he really appreciated it this time. Gerard was certain that if Lindsey had tried to ask him about what was going on, he would've worked himself up into a panic. Or chickened out. But _probably_ both.    


 

By the time Gerard's shift was over, he was practically vibrating right out of his socks with pent-up nervous energy. Lindsey wished him luck on his way out, and although she didn't say what she was wishing him luck for, he knew she meant with Frank. 

 

Gerard made his way back to his apartment building, alternating between rushing home and dragging his feet. He was caught between wanting to get it over with and delaying the inevitable. Eventually, he had reached the complex, and he took a deep breath of the chilly air before stepping into the building. Gerard took the elevator, not trusting his feet with the stairs. His hands were shaking like he'd been drinking straight caffeine all day. He stuffed them into his pockets before walking up to Frank's door. There was an erratic buzzing in his chest where his racing heartbeat should've been. 

 

After standing by the door for a second, Gerard finally knocked, praying Frank would be home; he didn't think he could convince himself to go through with this again if his neighbor was gone. 

 

But Frank was there. Gerard could hear his footsteps on their way to the door. 

 

"Hello?" Frank said, as he opened the door, clearly not expecting company. "Oh! Hey Gerard! What's up?"

 

"Hi, um, I just got back from work and I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out some time this week?"

 

Frank grinned. "Sure, Gee! You know you could've texted me like last time, not that I'm complaining."

 

Gerard felt his face flush - he should not have drank so much this morning god _dammit_ \- and he dropped his gaze to his shoes. "Uh, about that," he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, "I was actually wondering if you wanted to go see a movie or something?"

 

Realization flickered across Frank's face before he smiled wider and said, "what, you mean like a date? Are you asking me out?"

 

At this point, Gerard was positive his face was about to _literally catch fire_ as he forced his eyes to meet Frank's before he nodded. "Y-yeah. I mean like a date."

 

"Gerard, I would love to go on a date with you," Frank's grin was threatening to split his face in half at this point. 

 

"Wait, actually?" Gerard wanted to smack himself for sounding so stupid but he needed to be sure. He couldn't bear it if Frank was just kidding around. 

 

"Yes, _seriously_ ," Frank giggled, "I've been waiting for you to ask me out for _eons_."

 

Gerard could feel his eyes growing comically wide. How did he miss the fact that Frank had supposedly been pining after him too? Oh god, Mikey was going to laugh his ass off at this. 

 

"Did you have like a day or time pinned down for this date?" Frank asked, eyes softening, but still smiling wide. 

 

"Oh, uh," Gerard stuttered, "no? I didn't think I'd get this far..." He smiled sheepishly at Frank, who just laughed. 

 

"Don't worry about it; I was thinking about seeing this psychological thriller that comes out on Friday if you'd be interested?"

 

"That would be great, I'd love to," Gerard smiled, heart swooping (can it do that? he doesn't know but that's how it feels). 

 

"I'll see you then! For now I have to get off to practice, but I'll text you details later," Frank smiled. 

 

Gerard nodded enthusiastically, making Frank laugh. "Bye, good luck with practice," Gerard said, his face a reflection of Frank's as his neighbor smiled and closed the door. 

 

Gerard walked to his own apartment, barely aware of his own actions. He kept replaying the conversation in his mind, still disbelieving. Inside his apartment, Gerard flopped down on his bed, grinning madly. Frank said yes!

 

Lindsey was gonna _flip_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was written at three am on an airplane i hope yall enjoy xo


	11. kiss me you animal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *kelly clarkson voice* here I am, once again
> 
> sorry this one took so long! i was super busy with testing and graduation and shit but i'm back! this chapter was edited by my fantastic, amazing, beautiful girlfriend @robinsfeathers ^_^ title from na na na by mcr :) hope you all enjoy xo

Lindsey did, in fact, flip. 

 

As Gerard told her about what had happened, her smile grew wider and wider until her fangs were fully exposed by her grin.

 

“I’m so proud of you, Gee!” Lindsey grabbed Gerard in a tight hug, which he half-heartedly tried to squirm out of. A couple of bookstore customers glanced judgingly in their direction. “So what’s happening with this hot date of yours?”

 

Gerard blushed at that. “We’re seeing a movie on Friday that he wants to see. Frank, uh, said he was gonna text me soon though.”

 

Lindsey squealed a little, “Ahh, I’m so excited for you! You’re going to have so much fun, you have to tell me  _ everything _ .” She quirked her eyebrow suggestively at Gerard, making him groan. “Hayley and I will channel our ‘gay powers’ or some shit to help you with your date.”

 

“Thanks, Linds,” Gerard said, rolling his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time that Friday rolled around, Gerard had become a bundle of nervous energy. He paced around his apartment, occasionally sending frantic texts to Mikey and Hayley. This date with Frank had Gerard so worked up he could hardly sit still. The urge to call Frank and pretend he was sick popped up more than Gerard would care to admit. 

Finally , Frank knocked on the door, and Gerard just about jumped out of his skin. Praying for his hands to stop shaking, Gerard downed the last of the canned blood he had been  nursing since  that  morning. He reached the door and opened it to find Frank staring up at him with a shy smile. 

Gerard, like many vampires, breathed out of habit \-  and so that he could speak \-  rather than necessity. As such, his breath caught in his throat when he saw Frank. The tattoos on his arms and hands were entirely visible, as well as those on his neck. Gerard wanted nothing more than to spend  _ hours _ admiring all of Frank’s tattoos, but, for the time being, he was staring rather rudely.

“Uh, hi, Frank,” Gerard managed.

“Hey, Gee,” Frank replied before blatantly raking his gaze down Gerard’s body, setting his cheeks on fire. “You look great,” Frank said, smiling.

“Thanks,” Gerard said, face burning. 

After a few seconds of slightly awkward silence, Frank cleared his throat, “Let’s get going, shall we?” As he said it, Gerard noticed Frank’s face was slightly flushed, which was equal parts endearing and mouth-watering to see all the blood rush just under Frank’s skin. Gerard nodded,  and Frank’s face split into a huge grin.

 

* * *

 

 

The theater was surprisingly empty for the opening day of a new film, though it was by a lesser-known cast and company. Gerard let Frank lead him to a couple of seats in the back row, which he tried not to read into too much. 

Gerard settled somewhat stiffly into his seat, and Frank was still buzzing  nervously ; Gerard tried to ignore the quick beating of Frank’s heart, but it was a little distracting.

Frank normally was not this nervous on dates – well, he normally didn’t really  _ go _ on dates, but still. The last time he was this jittery was in high school. He tried to settle his body by watching his breathing, but every time he caught Gerard looking at him out of the corner of his eye, his heart would flutter.  _ God _ , he felt so  _ lame _ .

During the movie, Gerard struggled to focus on what was happening on screen. From what he managed to see, it seemed like a pretty well done film, but he was too distracted by Frank to notice much. Gerard tried to ignore the way Frank’s heart sped up every time Gerard moved, but the rush of blood in Frank’s veins was just so distracting. Maybe he was finally starting to freak out about Gerard being a blood-sucking monster.  It wouldn’t be much of a surprise, but Gerard couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

While Gerard pondered ways to try and make Frank feel more comfortable, Frank continued to work himself into a panic; on the few dates he had recently been on, he never felt  _ this _ anxious. Normally, he’d be at least holding his date’s hand by now (though more likely he’d be making out with them), but for some reason he was so scared of fucking up that he just sat there staring at the screen. Frank was not usually one for long-term relationships, so the fact that he felt so invested in this relationship was seriously messing with his head.  _ Christ _ , he had only just met the guy. 

Gerard was so wrapped up in his own worries that he didn’t notice when Frank shifted towards him slightly until he felt Frank’s hand lightly brush his own. Frank pulled back when Gerard jumped, an apology already forming on his lips, but Gerard gave him a  shaky smile  and offered his hand. Frank blushed, mumbling something that Gerard couldn’t hear over the rushing of Frank’s blood, before  slipping his hand into Gerard’s.

The two looked up at the screen just to catch the very end of the movie;  some big reveal about how the main character had actually been dead the entire time.

Gerard laughed lightly, “I’m sure that movie was great, but I honestly couldn’t follow it very well.” When he looked over at Frank – who was still gripping his hand – it was clear that the other man had been watching him for a while. “ Is something wrong? ” Gerard asked, suddenly embarrassed.

“Oh! Sorry, it’s nothing,” Frank said, blushing at how he’d been caught ogling his date. “I just – I really like your eyes,” he said, looking down at his lap.

“Really? You don’t think they’re creepy?” Gerard asked.

Frank laughed and looked back up at Gerard. “Nah, I think the red eyes are cool, and they fit you,” he smiled. “Plus, I don’t really think I could find anything about you creepy, Gerard.”

Now it was Gerard’s turn to blush, and when he looked around the theater he noticed that the last of the people were leaving. “Oh,  should we  head out?” he asked.

“Sure,” Frank smiled. “I guess I don’t need to offer to walk you home since we’re neighbors,” he laughed.

Gerard grinned back, “It’s still sweet of you to offer.”

Frank finally released Gerard’s hand as they left the theater. Gerard briefly missed the warmth, but once they got outside, he tentatively offered his arm to Frank, who took it with a grin. They talked while walking back to their apartment building, and Gerard was surprised by how well it went; he normally found conversations with pretty much anyone to be incredibly awkward, but everything felt so natural with Frank.  _ And _ Frank was one of the only humans Gerard had met that wasn’t constantly on edge around him. While Gerard had worried that Frank was nervous about being near him in the theater, he was starting to think that Frank’s nerves had a different source. 

They entered the apartment building and took the elevator to their floor. After a few moments, the two left the elevator, and when they reached Gerard’s apartment door, Frank dropped his hand from Gerard’s arm. Gerard had to keep himself from pouting at the loss of contact. However, when he turned towards Frank to protest, he froze because Frank was  _ so close _ . Gerard had been trying to ignore how good Frank smelled all night, but now, with Frank almost pressed up against Gerard, he was overwhelmed by the other man’s scent. Frank smelled so  _ good _ ; Gerard couldn’t help it when his gaze dropped to Frank’s throat, which was just inches away. Gerard heard Frank’s breathing hitch slightly, and Gerard licked his lips. His eyes flickered back up to meet Frank’s, and he found that Frank was staring back at him with dark eyes.

“Gerard,” Frank said, softly, “I’d really like to kiss you.”

Gerard’s eyes widened as Frank moved minutely forward before looking back up at Gerard’s eyes from his lips. “Is that okay?” Frank asked.

“Yes, yes it’s okay, it’s  _ definitely _ okay,” Gerard rushed out because he suddenly  _ wanted _ . 

Frank smiled before putting his hand on Gerard’s cheek. Gerard responded by leaning in and gently pressing his lips against Frank’s. Frank had surprisingly soft lips, which felt warm against Gerard’s. Frank’s hand slipped back behind Gerard’s neck, pulling him in closer. Their lips moved against each other and Gerard was drowning in the smell that was so distinctively Frank’s. He felt high, like kissing Frank was some kind of super-addictive drug.

At some point, Frank went to deepen the kiss, opening his mouth more and pushing in a bit with his tongue. Gerard sighed gratefully into the kiss, feeling Frank moan softly in response. Just then, Gerard felt Frank brush his fang, and Gerard pulled back sharply. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” Gerard said, stepping back.

“No, it’s fine, really,” Frank replied, grabbing Gerard’s shoulders to prevent him from shrinking back any further. “Seriously, don’t worry about it, it doesn’t bother me.”

“Really?” Gerard looked almost comically shocked, which, paired with his slightly messed up hair and shiny red lips, created a picture that had Frank smiling at him adoringly ( _ stop that _ ). Frank nodded, rubbing Gerard’s arms soothingly. 

“Gee, I honestly don’t have any problem with you being a vampire, we’ve been over this.” Frank smiled, waiting until Gerard smiled back before leaning in to press another quick kiss to his lips. “Now, I need to get some sleep so I’m not exhausted tomorrow, but I promise I will call you.”

Gerard, still looking a little dazed, said, “Wait, do you want to go out again?” Realizing what he said, Gerard pressed his lips together, blushing.

Frank giggled, “Yeah, Gee. I had a really great time with you, and, if you feel the same way, I’d really like to make this a more regular thing.” Frank looked so hopeful, so Gerard nodded quickly, making Frank laugh some more. Gerard really could listen to that sound forever. “Alright, I’ll see you soon, then,” Frank said, patting Gerard’s shoulder before he walked back to his apartment, turning to give Gerard a final wave before stepping inside.

Gerard took a moment to collect himself before he opened the door to his own apartment. Inside, he leaned back against the closed door, taking deep breaths in hopes of calming himself down, though he wasn’t sure if that still worked if you didn’t  _ have _ to breathe. He probably looked like an idiot sitting on the floor of his apartment, all alone, leaned against the door grinning at the empty room. He had a fantastic time with Frank, and the fact that Frank was willing to initiate things was making him more confident in his own moves. Gerard had been so worried at the theater, but it turned out that his date was possibly just as nervous. Comforting.

He only felt a little bad that he didn’t remember any of the movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, comment and i'll love you xo

**Author's Note:**

> okay so I have this thing most of the way planned out, but if you have any comments or ideas of what you want to see, feel free to comment! love you all xo


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